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| Key News about Wireless Voice |
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TechFaith: A Firm Grip on Handset Design
BusinessWeek Online, October 14, 2005
Like so many other young Chinese entrepreneurs, D.F. Dong could practically smell the opportunity before him. As a sales exec at Motorola Inc. in Beijing three years ago, he saw Chinese cell-phone makers on the rise, but he found their handset designs uninspiring.
Ericsson and Rogers Communications to Trial 3G/HSDPA
M2 Communications, October 14, 2005
Swedish telecomms solutions provider Ericsson said on Thursday (13 October) that it would, together with the Canadian communications and media company Rogers Communications Inc, begin a trial of 3G/HSDPA wireless services and applications.
3G Mobile Seen to Become the Mainstream on China's Telecom Mkt
Asia In Focus, October 13, 2005
3G mobile phone is expected to become the mainstream on China's telecom market in three to five years, according to Li Shihe, Chief Scientist of the Datang Mobile Communications Equipment Co. and father of China's homegrown 3G standard, TD-SCDMA.
Three Picks in Handsets for a Strong U.S. Market
Forbes, October 13, 2005
SG Cowen analyst Christin Armacost said a third-quarter survey of survey of U.S. wireless retailers reinforces a "positive view on continued strength in overall handset demand."
Nokia Pushes Push with E Series Handsets
Inquirer, October 13, 2005
Searching for the mobile killer ap, Nokia has decided to pump up the email facilities on its latest range of handsets known as the E series.
Nokia Gears up 3G Efforts in China
CNET, October 13, 2005
Nokia is expanding its efforts in China with a new 3G venture. The Finnish mobile phone giant and telecommunications gear maker China Putian are setting up a joint venture that will research, manufacture and sell products for the upcoming wireless data services. High-speed 3G, or third-generation, networks support services such as video-on-demand.
New Gadget to Make Theft of Mobile Phones Harder
Reuters, October 13, 2005
Finnish scientists have invented a device to make it harder to steal mobile phones and laptops by enabling them to detect changes in their owner's walking style and then freeze to prevent unauthorised use.
Japan's Mobile Phone Shipments Decline 2.3% in August
Kyodo, October 12, 2005
Shipments of mobile phones, including personal handy-phone system devices, in Japan fell 2.3 percent in August from a year before to 3.19 million units, an industrial body said Wednesday.
Cellular-Free Enclaves Fight to Save Pay Phones
New York Times, October 11, 2005
The pay phone in the dirt parking lot of the Acworth General Store here is not terribly impressive, its base coated in grime and a plastic-covered phone book hanging limply from its metal frame.
3G to Face Challenges: Father of Cell-phone
Xinhua Economic News, October 11, 2005
In face of widespread enthusiasm about the development of 3G, Martin Cooper, inventor of the cell phone, reminded people to look at the rise of 3G with a sober mind at the ongoing 2005 Global Mobile Congress held in southwest China's Chongqing municipality.
AT&T Internet Call Service to Require Location
Reuters, October 11, 2005
AT&T Corp. said on Tuesday it would suspend Internet phone service for subscribers who fail to keep their location up to date when they move around with the mobile service.
NDRC Released List of 7 Ratified Handset Makers
Sinocast, October 11, 2005
China's National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) announced a name list of 7 approved handset makers on its official website.
Latin America: Many Have Cell Phones, but Few Have Computers
Global Info Network/Inter Press Service, October 11, 2005
Cell phone use is booming in Latin America, new statistics show, but limited progress in installing regular phone lines limits access to the Internet and other technology for all but the region's wealthiest.
GoRemote and Skype Bring Free Internet Phone Calls to Mobile Workforces
PR Newswire, October 6, 2005
GoRemote today announced a strategic partnership with Skype, the Global Internet Communications Company, that will further the capabilities of remote working for today's professional. Now, IT managers and CIOs can provide their mobile workers and teleworkers with free Skype phone calls to anyone with an Internet connection using GoRemote's secure mobile broadband solutions.
Text Hackers Could Jam Cellphones, a Paper Says
New York Times, October 5, 2005
Malicious hackers could take down cellular networks in large cities by inundating their popular text-messaging services with the equivalent of spam, said computer security researchers, who will announce the findings of their research today.
Research and Markets: Asia Wireless Annual Report: Subscribers, Handsets, and Infrastructure
M2 Communications, October 5, 2005
The wireless industry in Asia has experienced tremendous growth in the last decade, with mobile telephony mainly responsible for this surge. Mobile telephones have reached widespread usage, with many countries in the region reaching market saturation.
Aliant Offers Unlimited Cellular Long Distance, an Industry First
Canada Newswire, October 5, 2005
Aliant customers can now call friends and family whenever they want from wherever they are in Atlantic Canada with the region's first unlimited, long-distance calling on a cell phone.
Nokia to Trial Fixed Mobile Convergence Solutions with Telemar Oi in Brazil
PR Newswire, October 5, 2005
Nokia has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Brazilian telecommunications giant Telemar Oi to begin trials of Nokia's Fixed Mobile onvergence solutions. The Nokia Fixed Mobile Convergence solutions can leverage Telemar's current fixed network to create a converged packet based domain for fixed and mobile services.
Microsoft, Motorola Eye Emergency Providers
CNET, October 4, 2005
Motorola plans to enhance the reliability of its emergency services software applications by integrating them on the Microsoft platform, the companies announced Tuesday.
Rogers Wireless Expands BlackBerry Portfolio
Canada Newswire, October 4, 2005
Rogers Wireless and Research In Motion today announced the availability of the BlackBerry 7100g to mobile customers in Canada. The BlackBerry 7100g offers innovative features and complete BlackBerry functionality to provide mobile professionals with phone, e-mail, text messaging, Internet, organizer and corporate data applications while on the go.
Proposed Spec Tackles Cell Phone Data Security
Mobile Pipeline, October 3, 2005
An ad hoc industry group has taken its first step toward delivering a hardware-security standard for cellphones during the first half of 2006. The Trusted Computing Group released 11 use cases that are the basis for the spec it will release before June.
Casio-Hitachi Designs Two Wireless Handsets with NOR Flash
Asia Pulse, October 3, 2005
The robust cellular handsets developed by Casio-Hitachi feature up to 64 megabytes (MB) of code storage for advanced multimedia functions. Both phones integrate a 1.28 megapixel camera, expansive telephone and address databases, mapping/navigation functions and video capabilities.
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Internet Phone Calls. . . Coming to a Mobile Phone Near You
Internet phone calls, once tethered to desktop computers, are heading for your mobile phone. As wireless Internet connections become more widely available in homes, offices and even across cities, people are starting to use these networks to make phone calls, analysts say. For most mainstream consumers, using a wireless Internet, or WiFi, connection to make mobile phone calls is at least a couple of years away, but industry watchers say the technology is moving fast.
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Why Wireless Calls Can Fail in Disaster
MarketWatch, September 17, 2005
When a major disaster strikes, wireless phones don't always work. Thousands of customers found that out the hard way after Hurricane Katrina devastated large swaths of the Gulf Coast, including New Orleans. Similar, though less widespread, interruptions afflicted the New York City area after the Sept. 11 attacks. The crux of the problem is simple. Unbeknownst to many subscribers, wireless calls in the United States travel partly over old-fashioned wireline phone networks. When those systems encounter trouble like severed cables -- or in the case of New Orleans, massive flooding -- wireless networks can also fail.
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Moving beyond the Ringtone: Music, Wireless Sectors Converge
Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News, September 8, 2005
Yesterday's unveiling of the new iPod/cellphone hybrid underscored a growing convergence between the music and wireless industries. The slim $249 device, which can store 100 songs, is a testament to how two distinctly different businesses are now joined in a quest for growth. Hamstrung by falling CD sales, recording artists and record labels have found a new marketing vehicle in cellphones, which are as suited to playing music as they are for conversing. At the same time, wireless companies have spent billions building networks that deliver multimedia content to phones and now regard music -- from ringtones to downloaded songs and videos -- as an opportunity to increase revenues.
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A Major Backfire in Japan Deflates Vodafone's One-Size-Fits-All Strategy
New York Times, September 5, 2005
Service problems, a botched rollout of its third-generation phone network and a skimpy lineup of new handsets have driven away Japanese customers of Vodafone, the world's largest cellphone carrier. The exodus has turned into an embarrassing and costly setback for Vodafone - and one it is now struggling to overcome. Vodafone, which is based in London and also owns 45 percent of Verizon Wireless in the United States, now must win back customers if it is to revive what was once one of its most profitable units and a cash cow for its global operations. Though the performance of its subsidiary in Japan has shown some signs of improving, it has fallen far behind its two larger rivals here, NTT DoCoMo and KDDI. (Free registration required.)
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Cellphones Catapult Rural Africa to 21st Century
New York Times, August 25, 2005
From 1999 through 2004, the number of mobile subscribers in Africa jumped to 76.8 million, from 7.5 million, an average annual increase of 58 percent. South Africa, the continent's richest nation, accounted for one-fifth of that growth. Africa's cellphone boom has taken the industry by surprise. Africans have never been rabid telephone users; even Mongolians have twice as many land lines per person. And with most Africans living on $2 a day or less, they were supposed to be too poor to justify corporate investments in cellular networks far outside the more prosperous cities and towns. But when African nations began to privatize their telephone monopolies in the mid-1990's, and fiercely competitive operators began to sell air time in smaller, cheaper units, cellphone use exploded. (Free registration required.)
Training to Become Wireless Heavyweight
Newsbytes, August 22, 2005
Reston-based Sprint Nextel Corp. is betting it can pull off a merger of Kansas and Northern Virginia to create a wireless giant that does everything from connecting construction workers at the press of a button to beaming NFL highlights to your mobile phone. Created on Aug. 12, Sprint Nextel instantly became one of the biggest companies based in the Washington area with about 80,000 employees nationwide, more than $40 billion in revenue and roughly 44 million mobile phone subscribers.
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Cellphones? Over There, Right Next to the Nachos
New York Times, August 4, 2005
When 7-Eleven started its own mobile phone service last year, stocking handsets on the shelves near the beef jerky and burritos, it became one of dozens of companies, many with no experience in the phone business, making a new sideline of selling mobile communications. The emergence of these companies, and the segmentation of the mass market, reflects the ease of repackaging telecommunications services in the digital age. (Free registration required.)
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Connecting with Kids, Wirelessly
Washington Post, July 7, 2005
New cell phones are extra-small to fit children's hands, with "mommy" and "daddy" buttons for one-touch dialing. They come in colors called X-Ray and Bubblegum. Still others are set to feature animated characters on the display screen and have educational software built right in. Cell phone companies, having captured most of America with lucrative service contracts, are coming for the children.
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Moving Beyond Ringtones
Newsbytes, July 2, 2005
First, there were musical ringtones. Then came "ring-back" tones -- tunes that play while a caller waits for someone to pick up a mobile phone. Now cell phones are offering streaming music, with access to online music stores on the way. The wireless industry is making a big push into the music business, taking cues from Apple Computer Inc.'s iPod and from its own success selling more that 182 million mobile phones.
Oh, Behave: Do Mobile Content Guidelines Make Phones Safe for Consumers...Or Marketers?
Access Intelligence, June 2, 2005
Claiming that it was trying to maintain consumer privacy and control, the Mobile Marketing Association and CTIA--The Wireless Association released their "Best Practices Guidelines for Cross-Carrier Mobile Content Services" last week to thunderous disinterest. A consortium of Tier 1 carriers, aggregators and media developed the protocols, but without any sign of consumer interest groups involved in the process or publicly supporting the guidelines when they were released, it is a bit hard to tell which constituency these Best Practices serve.
$5000? Put it on My Cell
Business Week, June 1, 2005
In the beginning, the cell phone was a phone -- handy for making calls but little else. Then manufacturers added cameras, e-mail, music, and even television to their phones, making the gadgets an essential part of daily routines. Now, Japanese carrier NTT DoCoMo Inc. wants to entrench the once-humble cell phone even deeper into consumer lifestyles by turning it into an electronic wallet.
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D. Telekom US Sees Growth, 3G Launch
Washington Post, May 31, 2005
T-Mobile USA, Deutsche Telekom's U.S. mobile arm, sees its growth of around 1 million new customers per quarter continuing at this pace in 2005 and is preparing new "third-generation" mobile services for 2007. T-Mobile International CEO Rene Obermann told reporters he was not worried by the mergers in the United States, which have reduced to four the number of national mobile operators, leaving T-Mobile USA the fourth rank by far.
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Adding Music Players to Cellphones Won’t be iPod Killer Some Think
Wall Street Journal, May 23, 2005
Bill Gates had a warning for Apple Computer recently about its iPod: Time's almost up.
"I don't think the success of the iPod can continue in the long term, however good Apple may be," the Microsoft chairman told a German newspaper, adding that "Apple was once extremely strong with its Macintosh and graphic user interface, like with the iPod today, and then lost its position." So what's going to push Steve Jobs & Co. off the top of the digital-music heap? The trendy pick is cellphones, which are steadily gaining capabilities and possibilities as the time-honored math of Moore's Law delivers more functions and memory for less money.
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The Big Snooze: Do Multi-Function Phones Bore Consumers or Carriers?
Access Intelligence, May 19, 2005
Research analysts sent mixed signals about the future of feature-laden next-gen mobile handsets with video, MP3 and WiFi capabilities. According to iSuppli's new Mobile Handset Design Forecast Tool (DFT), we will see more than half of handsets sold in 2008 with MP3 capability and 43 percent with flash-card slots, 73 percent with USB ports and 14 percent with WiFi support. All of these mechanisms threaten to cut carriers out of the value chain.
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Taking on the Wireless Goliaths
Business Week, May 17, 2005
Three years ago, Sprint PCS execs allowed an upstart brand, Virgin Mobile, to offer a prepaid mobile telephone service for teenagers using Sprint's wireless towers. It was supposed to be a market test, but it ended up turning the American wireless industry on its head.
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Multimedia Phones
Business Week, May 16, 2005
Consumer-electronics giants are using their music,TV, and game savvy to build hot new models. Step aside, big boys. Cellular Lilliputians such as LG and Sanyo are becoming the leviathans of the emerging multimedia age in wireless. These Asian consumer-electronics companies have made cell phones for a few years, but now that they're bringing out mighty cool products, they're suddenly starting to turn heads.
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The Battle for Content
Wireless Week, May 15, 2005
In an era in which network access has become a commodity service and the real cost of providing a minute of voice or a bit of data nears zero, the next generation of the communications industry will be largely defined by who wins the battle for content ownership and distribution. Wireless, with its 2 billion plus "third screens," is clearly a big part of this game.
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| Web Resources |
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The Wireless Association (CTIA)
Founded in 1984, CTIA is the voice of the wireless industry - representing its members in a constant dialogue with policy makers in the Executive Branch, in the Federal Communications Commission, and in Congress. CTIA's industry committees provide leadership in the area of taxation, roaming, safety, regulations, fraud and technology.
http://www.ctia.org/
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Wireless Week
Wireless Week provides news and analysis covering mobile telephony and data service providers and equipment manufacturers. Bi-weekly with daily web updates.
http://www.wirelessweek.com/
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Mobile Pipeline
Mobile Pipeline delivers breaking news, reviews, product announcements, in-depth product research tools, expert advice and analysis, insights into industry trends, and hands-on how-to details about the mobile telecom industry.
http://mobilepipeline.com/
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RCR Wireless News
RCR Wireless News is a weekly publication covering the wireless industry, including news and trends in services and technology.
http://www.rcrnews.com/
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